1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to motorized toy vehicles provided with a battery-operated DC motor, and more particularly to a self-sufficient power module which encases the motor and a battery supply therefor, the module being pluggable into an open compartment in the body of any one of a family of toy vehicles, the module, when switched on, acting to propel the vehicle in a selected direction whereby the same power module is usable to propel all vehicles in the family.
2. Status of Prior Art
The typical motorized toy vehicle includes a miniature DC motor connected through a polarity-reversing switch to a battery supply. The motor is operatively geared to at least one wheel axle, so that when the motor is switched on, the vehicle is propelled in a direction that depends on the polarity of the applied voltage.
In play, children usually seek as best they can to initiate an observed adult activity. Play, therefore, represents a learning experience that prepares the child for the adult world. Thus a child who plays with a toy combat weapon prefers a toy whose appearance resembles that of an actual weapon, and a child who plays with toy cars or trucks is happiest with those that behave and look like vehicles of the type he has seen driven by adults.
Also, children enjoy playing with an assortment or family of different vehicles such as cars, trucks, trailers, buses, tractors and other vehicles normally encountered on the road, for each vehicle has a specialized function and therefore calls for a play activity appropriate to this function. But should one wish to provide a child with a group of different motorized toy vehicles each having its own motor and battery supply, the overall cost of this group of toys will necessarily be high, for the motor, the battery supply and the gear train to link the motor to a wheel axle represent a substantial portion of the manufacturing cost of the vehicle.
It is known to provide a toy motorized vehicle with a self-sufficient DC motor power pack which is insertable into a body compartment to drive the vehicle. Such prior arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,659,378 and 3,733,744. But these patented power packs do not resemble a conventional multicylinder internal combustion engine and therefore lack verisimilitude. Children who have seen a racing car with an exposed engine or the engine of a typical vehicle when its hood is raised, know what a real internal combustion engine looks like, and are therefore dissatisfied with a toy vehicle having an electric motor.